New Joiners - Landscapes #924

I love the contrast in this image between the sunny landscape and the dark ominous sky. I can make out a faint hint of a rainbow leading down to the small group of trees and what might be a house. This image could do so much better in future contests if a higher resolution was uploaded. At this size it's hard to appreciate its potential. It still looks good though!

There's a lot to like about this photo. The out of focus foreground keeps the eye up from the bottom of the frame to gaze out over the water. The small figure of the lighthouse captures the viewers attention despite it's relative size. While it sits slightly off centre vertically, the rocky island it sits on is well centred, and the horizon line cuts straight through it, enhancing it's visual standing even more. The line of clouds and line of the foreground beautifully divide the frame in three with the ocean scene taking the centre. Very well crafted and taken!

A wonderfully simple scene that allows the shapes, lines, and colours to stand out. The tree has the impression of trying to climb the hill to the very top. The lower clarity and details do match the feel of the scene. My only suggestion would be to try a different crop. This scene would work great as a long panoramic image. Well done!

A refreshing glimpse of a waterfall between the trees. The bright crispness of the water is well framed by the foreground trees, which don't distract from the view due to the depth of field focus. The inclusion of the people in the top of the frame also helps add scale to the scene without distracting from the natural beauty.

The black and white film look manages to give the image a historic photo feel. The wind turbines in the distance then play with the viewers perception of time and place. Lines subtly zig zag across the centre of the frame with the line of the rocks and texture of the beach. The brightness of the scene is held up well by the dark jumble of rocks. Well done!

An interesting scene that plays with the minds expectations of the landscape. There is so much white, easily explained with the snow, but the featureless sky would suggest a hazy atmosphere which isn't present in what the viewer sees. That combined with two tall trees standing on their own, one evergreen and one deciduous., without any other plant life. The small gazebo and human figure give a scale to the trees. The whole scene plays between posed and natural. Even the leafless tree seems to be leaning into the other tree as if posing for a photo from the person. A very visually intriguing frame!

A tranquil maintain and lake scene with the shimmering reflections revealing the crystal clear nature of the water. The details and exposure are well taken. A minor suggested I would make that is easily fixed, is to straighten the horizon line slightly. Although it can be difficult to tell without the actual horizon, the waterline across the lake shows the frame dipping down towards the right. It's only a minor thing but hard to unsee once you see it! Still a wonderful photo though!

I'm going to assume this image had it's desired result. What initially looked like just a photo of a tree lit from below, interesting in it's own way, was transformed once the viewer notices the person laying in the lower branches. Suddenly the leaves take on a surreal impression of stars filling the night sky while the person gazes up in wonder. Such an amazing transformation of a backyard landscape into a magical scene.

You've used the silhouettes to great effect here. The vast bright orange sky provides the visual experience of the heat of the desert, adding an extra level to the sense of place and story provided by the camels and guide. A relatively simple shot that speaks volumes.

Beautiful light and a well captured sense of place. The viewer can easily transport themselves onto the boardwalk to feel the growing warmth of the rising sun. The boardwalk and shadows of the trees provide excellent leading lines to draw the eye further into the scene. The composition feels well balanced and the colours look great.

A wonderful use of light and depth. The out of focus golden strands of grass reach up and draw the eye to the main feature of the photo. The shape of the cliff is beautiful outlined with edge lighting from the sun, matching the colour of the foreground interest. There is plenty of detail throughout the bright highlights and deeper shadows. Well done!

A well exposed photo with gorgeous light. The colour in the clouds matches that of the rocks, as does the sky with the water. This creates a good harmony across the frame. The long exposure softens out the water details to accentuate the texture of the rocks, while adding a sense of movement and time to the clouds. Although the finer details are a little soft, either due to the high aperture, missed focus, or slight movement during the exposure, it's still a well taken and composed image!

A magical fairy tale scene. The frame is awash with golden autumn colours. The leaves beautifully match the castle door and window frames. These contrast nicely with the roofs of the towers and the glimpse of blue in the sky. I do find the raining and gate distracting though. You could practice your photoshop skills to remove them, or simply crop the image to at least exclude the railing at the bottom. Still a lovely shot!

A very tranquil forest view with a scattering of tree filtered sunlight. The exposure is well balanced considering the difficulty of shooting with bright sunny spots and deep shaded regions. While the forest does look lush and vibrant, there is a distinct green cast over the frame. A simple adjustment to the white balance and tint could bring out more warmth from the highlights while retaining the lushness of the green. Well done!

This image immediately brought out a fantastical world of a moonscape with water, being lit at night by light from the Earth. The greys of the mountain and blues go really well together. While the empty sky does contrast well with and accentuate the texture of the mountain, I feel it's either too much and needs a slight crop, or needs a subtle darkening from the top down to hold the eye in the frame. Still an intriguing scene and image!